


Meeting the Bug

by hart051



Series: Meeting the new Kids [3]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24373267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hart051/pseuds/hart051
Summary: He was no stranger to aliens after his encounter with the Reach, saving Superboy and also learning the sweet and kind-hearted counselor Ms. Morse was really a shape-shifting alien psychic hero, Miss Martian.His first encounter with Forager was a bit of a shock.
Series: Meeting the new Kids [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589218
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Meeting the Bug

Just after one of his training sessions in ‘The Hub’, he went to the kitchen space to grab a bite. He heard a gurgle of giggles. Something bug-like. It sounded way louder than any bug he had heard. Ed slowly entered the space and saw a teenager. A rather plump boy wearing a red shirt with orange accents at the top and on the sleeves all trimmed with white lines, green cargo pants, and a black undershirt. He appeared Hispanic with tinted skin, a burst of freckles, dark short spiky hair and brown eyes. He appeared to be a head shorter than him and was grabbing a rather large sum of food from the fridge.

“Hello.” Ed greeted, in a questioning tone.

The unknown boy looked up at Ed. “Oh. Hello new friend.” 

He put his sum of food on the island to walk up to Ed.

“Fred Bugg is Fred Bugg.” He greeted and offered his hand.

“Fred Bugg?” Ed was a little put off by his accent and speech pattern, not sounding remotely Spanish. However, something about it sounded not human.

Fred nodded.  “What is new friend’s name?”

“My actual name is Eduardo Dorado Jr., but I prefer to go by Ed.”

“Fred Bugg is happy to meet Eduardo Dorado Jr. or Ed.”

“It’s nice to meet you too Fred.”

“Fred Bugg’s name and Eduardo Dorado Jr’s name sound similar… “ Fred made the same sounds earlier before continuing. ”Fred Bugg’s name and Eduardo Dorado Jr’s name rhyme!”

“Yes. But, Fred, what are you doing here in the building? I haven’t heard of a ‘Fred Bugg’ living here.”

“Oh. Fred Bugg lives here, but Fred Bugg is not just Fred Bugg. Fred Bugg is also Forager.”

“Forager?” That name sounded familiar.

“Fred Bugg will take off Fred Bugg’s glamour charm.”

Fred reached for a black cord, blue crystal pendant and pulled it over his head.

Ed yelped. At the sight of what had been Fred Bugg. Standing before him was a giant humanoid red bug about the same size as ‘Fred’. 

“Forager is sorry, if Forager scared Eduardo Dorado Jr. Forager understands. Forager looks like a freak. But friend Harper Row, taught Forager and Violet Harper, being a freak is a good thing.”

“It’s fine, Forager. You just surprised me. I heard about you from mi amigos. Something about you being ‘exiled’.”

“Eduardo Dorado Jr. is right. Forager was exiled from Forager’s home. Hive declared Forager as a race traitor.”

“Oh I’m sorry.” He replied sympathetically.

“But Forager has found a new hive with many drones. Especially, with Brion Markov, Violet Harper and Bioship.”

“Good for you.” He smiled knowingly.

“Forager wants to know what are mi amigos?”

“Oh. I also speak Spanish. Another Earth language. So does Jaime, Blue Beetle.”

“Forager has met Jaime Reyes. Jaime Reyes does not look like a Beetle and isn’t always Blue.”

“You aren’t wrong, but _mi amigos_ is Spanish for my friends. _'Mi'_ meaning my and ' _amigos'_ meaning friends.”

“Earth has so many languages. How do Earthlings understand one another with so many languages without Motherbox translating or M’gann M’rzz?”

“Motherbox? M’gann?”

“Motherbox is a living computer from New Genesis. Motherbox has many abilities. Motherbox can translate the languages spoken. Forager’s friend Violet Harper was originally a Motherbox.”

“Okay, and M’gann?”

“M’gann M’rzz taught Forager human language by downloading human language into Forager’s brain.”

“Dios Mio. What a day. First fighting drills and reviewing past missions, now alien culture and their powers.”

Forager cocked his head to the side. “Why does Eduardo Dorado Jr. say that?”

“I’m the newest member to join the Outsiders.”

“Eduardo Dorado Jr. is an Outsider?” Forager repeated, then clapped. “That’s most excellent!”

“ _Si_. I am. Never thought I would get on the hero scene.”

“Why did Eduardo Do-”

“It’s just Ed, Forager.”

“Right. Why did Ed join the Outsiders, if Ed didn’t want to be ‘on the hero scene’?”

“I want to help the kids at the Taos Meta-Human Youth Center overcome their own issues with their powers by representing them on the squad. I’m their peer counselor. Like M’gann I talk to them and give them advice, but I am on their level. I’ve been where they have been so I can more easily empathize with them.”

Forager nodded.

“What about you? Why did you want to be on The Team?”

“Forager wants to be with Hive.” Forager paused. “Also the Hive way is to protect one another as well as save and protect others. Forager wants to protect his Hive, but also the Hive of the others. Of Earth, humans, meta-humans and other Earthlings.”

“Sounds great. We’re glad to have you. So what can you do? Your powers?”

“Forager can tuck into a ball and launch Forager’s body at enemies.”

“I see.”

“What about Ed?”

“What about me?”

“What are Ed’s powers?”

Ed smiled. “Just watch.”

Without any other warning he vanished in a strobe of gold and yellow lights in front of Forager.

Forager let out a series of surprised clicks. “Where did Ed go?”

“ _Aqui_. Over here Forager!”

Forager looked over to the island and there was Ed leaning against it. Ed vanished again and reappeared back in Forager sight.

“How did Ed do that?”

“I can teleport myself on sight lines. Only myself and one passenger.”

“Ed teleported, like Ed is a zeta-beam.”

“ _Si_.” 

“That is crash.”

” _Muy_ crash.”


End file.
